Growing potatoes in containers can make gardening accessible for the tight-knit gardener. When potatoes are grown in a container, harvesting is easier because all the tubers are in one place. Potatoes can be grown in a potato tower, garbage can, Tupperware container, or even a burlap sack. The process is straightforward and something the whole family can enjoy from planting to harvest.
Potato Container Garden
The best potatoes to use in the container garden are those that ripen early. Choose certified seed potatoes that are disease free. Potatoes should ripen in 70 to 90 days. You can also choose a variety from the supermarket that you like. Note that some potatoes take 120 days to harvest, so you need a long growing season for these types of potatoes.
There is a wide range of potato container gardening methods and means. Most potatoes are grown in garden soil, but any well-drained medium is appropriate. Even perlite can be used to grow potatoes in a pot. If you use a rubber or plastic container, be sure to drill several drainage holes. Heavy burlap bags are ideal containers because they breathe and drain. Whichever type of container you choose, make sure there is room to collect the soil as the potatoes grow. This encourages the formation of more layered tubers.
Where to grow potatoes in a container
Full sun conditions with six to eight hours of light and ambient temperatures around 60 F. (16 C.) will provide the best conditions for growing potatoes in containers. You can choose to grow your potatoes on the deck for quick access to smaller new potatoes. Grow new potatoes in a pot outside of the kitchen or in large 5-gallon buckets on the patio.
How to grow potatoes in a container
Plant your potatoes after all danger of frost has passed. Make a free-draining soil mix and mix it in with a handful of time-release fertilizer. Fill the container 4 cm deep with a previously moistened medium.
Cut the seed potatoes into 2 cm pieces with several eyes. Small potatoes can be planted as is. Plant the pieces 5 to 7 cm apart and cover with 3 cm of moist soil. Cover the container potatoes with more soil after they grow 7 cm and continue to cover the small plants until you reach the top of the bag. Container potatoes should be kept well watered but not soggy.
Container potato harvest
Harvest the potatoes after the plants bloom and then turn yellow. You can also remove new potatoes before flowering. Once the stems turn yellow, stop watering and wait a week. Take out the potatoes or just empty the container and sort the tubers in the middle. Clean the potatoes and allow them to cure for two weeks for storage.
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